This archive report was first published on 2 August 2019.
On August 2, 2019, the Kenyan government received expert advice on how to address the country's growing cancer menace from a US-based Kenyan nuclear medicine specialist, John Gitau Wairimu.
Gitau, who made history in 2017 by becoming one of the first four students in the United States to graduate with a Master's degree in Nuclear Medicine from the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB), emphasized the importance of early cancer diagnosis.
"While declaring cancer a national disaster in Kenya is progress, the real issue here is when and how do we diagnose cancer during the early stages when it is still manageable and can respond to therapy," Gitau said.
Gitau, 35, noted that the government needs to invest in nuclear medicine procedures, which can detect cancer cells earlier than x-rays and CAT scans. He advised the government to prioritize the adoption of better diagnostic equipment and methods, citing the benefits of nuclear medicine in detecting cancer cells months before other imaging techniques.
"Going to India or England will not save the patient; stage 4 cannot be saved by medical tourism to India or the United States or the United Kingdom," Gitau emphasized.
Gitau's advice to the Kenyan government is clear: adopting early detection methods like nuclear medicine will be the only way out of the cancer menace.
